Bloomberg relay debuts in Beijing

The Bloomberg Square Mile Relay has added Beijing to its Global Series, making the Chinese capital the 13th city to host the world's largest corporate relay event.

The race will be run at Shougang Park on Friday, Aug 30, ahead of the fifth Shanghai Global Series competition on Friday, Oct 25.

Race registration is now open for both cities on the official event website: squaremilerelay.cn

The Bloomberg Square Mile Relay is a unique, immersive team-building experience with more than 100 companies regularly participating and competing against each other in each city.

The wider purpose of the series is to educate the corporate community on the importance of fitness and team-building through physical activity.

Teams are made up of 10 co-workers, each of whom runs a unique one mile (1.6km) course. In Beijing, they will run past the majestic tower of Blast Furnace No 3 and around picturesque Xiu Lake.

The race culminates with a post-race party in the Race Village, where participants will be treated to a live DJ performance as well as complimentary food and drinks. Awards will be presented to the fastest three teams overall, the fastest mixed team, the fastest women's team and the fastest individual runner.

"The Bloomberg Square Mile Relay is now a much-anticipated event in the financial community and by corporations", said Bing Li, head of China at Bloomberg.

"We are pleased to bring the race to both Beijing and Shanghai this year, so that more companies can join us in promoting team spirit. We also want to thank the Beijing and Shanghai municipal governments for their support in making the Bloomberg Square Mile Relay possible."

Beijing will be the 50th race in the history of the series, which has seen more than 40,000 runners participate since it debuted in London in 2007.

The Bloomberg Square Mile Relay Shanghai will again be held at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, under the iconic arches of the sports stadium, and will feature a revamped one-mile route.

This marks the fifth year of the race in Shanghai, which has joined global centers like Dubai, Sydney, New York, Tokyo, San Francisco, Paris, London, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Mumbai as a hotbed of participation.

This year, the series is introducing The Extra Mile－an opportunity to make an impact far beyond the finish line by delivering financial support to the local community.

The Extra Mile is a community-led initiative that addresses a unique social challenge in each host city. A minimum of 25 percent of each team's entry fee (at least $20,000) will be donated to the year-long funded program. By choosing and running for their cause, runners make a meaningful difference through the power of sport.

CHINA DAILY